One wheeled skate



July 11, 1967 R. E. PIERCE UNE WHEELED SKATE Filed June l, 1965 lINVENUnited States Patent Office 3,330,571 Patented July l1, 1967 3,330,571ONE WHEELED SKATE Robert E. Pierce, 11189 Royal Palm, Arlington, Calif.92505 Filed June 1, 1965, Ser. No. 460,102 17 Claims. (Cl. 280--11.24)

This invention relates to a vehicular device, and particularly to suchla device primarily suitable for play use by children.

The vehicular device of this invention comprises a pair of unique,wheeled members of similar construction but configured in mirror imagerelationship to each other. Thus, it is actually two devices, ratherthan one, being, in this respect, like a pair of roller skates. Thismakes for some diiiiculty of description since, to be literally correct,the vehiclular device should be referred to in plural terms. However,for purposes of simplicity, grammatical purity will hereinafter besacrificed to ease and clarity of expression and, consistentlytherewith, the invention will be referred to in the singular as avehicular device or the equivalent, as by use of the expression vehicle,vehicular toy or simply toy Turning now from grammatical form to thesubstance of the invention, my vehicular toy moves, as will be seen, bymeans of -ground contacting wheels but, also as will be seen, similarityto the toy to conventional wheeled vehicles here ceases. The toy isuniquely different, from both structural `and use standpoints, from anyconventionally known type of childs vehicle. Being thus different, itcaptures the childs interest and imagination and presents him with a newchallenge to his natural skills and athletic abilities. My vehicular toyis, by the unusual nature of its use, capable of providing a child oryoung person of almost any age, or, in fact, any healthy adult, withmany hours of fun and pleasure. It is suitable for use by a childplaying alone or in the conipany of others, and it lends i-tself Well tocompetitive activities by providing the participants with an opportunityto match their balancing and other skills; coordination; strength; andendurance against each other.

It is thus a principal object of this invention to provide an exoticallydifferent type of vehicular toy to capture the imagination of childrenand present them with a challenge to their skills and athleticabilities.

It is another object of the invention to furnish such a toy capable ofproviding its use with many hours of fun and pleasure.

It is s-till another object of the invention to furnish such a Vehiculartoy capable of providing children with lhealthful fresh air exercisewhile, at the same time, affording them pleasure.

It is yet another object of the invention to furnish such -a toysusceptive to relatively quick mastery of use by .any child of ordinaryathletic ability yet so characterized as to provide the mostathletically lgifted child with a continuing challenge to his expertise.

It is still another object of the invention to furnish such a vehiculartoy capable of bringing about improvement of its users balance,coordination, strength and endurance upon continued use thereof.

Other objects, features .and advantages of my vehicular toy lwill become.apparent from the following description, considered in conjunction withthe accompanying drawing, of which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of a boy riding a preferred embodiment of thevehicular toy and illustrating the above-indicated paired-membercharacter thereof.

FIGURE 2 is .an enlarged side elevation of one of the two paired membersof the FIGURE 1 embodiment of the toy.

FIGURE 3 is a front elevation of the FIGURE 2 member.

FIGURE 4 is a top view of the FIGURE 2 member.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged view, mostly in section, through an importantstructural part of the member, showing dual-function means for adjustingits height and holding separate parts thereof together, taken .alongline 5-5 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view, mostly in longitudinalsection, of an important feature of the pictured member, taken alongline 6--6 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 7 is a still further enlarged view, mostly in cross section, ofthe FIGURE 6 feature of said member, taken along line 7-7 of the latterligure.

Turning now to consideration of the drawing in greater detail, there isshown in FIGURE 1 a pair 1 of wheeled members comprising a preferredembodiment of my vehicular toy being ridden by a child to illustrate themanner in which the toy is mounted and handled by its rider. As thatfigure shows, the toy is ridden in standing position with the lower armsand fee-t separately supported by means, and in a manner, hereinafterdescribed, and each of the hands -gripping a separate one of a pair ofhandgrips provided for that purpose. The h-andgrips are shown at 9 and10, the former being for the use of the right hand, and herein-afterreferred to as handgrip 9, and the latter being, of course, for the useof the left hand.

While a small portion of one of the wheeled members is hidden behind therider in FIGURE 1, this does not detract from the completelyillustrative character of that View relative to the use of my vehiculartoy. In this connection, it is suflicient to say that the pair 1 ofwheeled members comprises a left and a right member, the former designedto support the riders left arm and foot, and having a handgrip for hisleft hand, and a latter having the same function and relationshiprelative to his right arm, foot and hand, respectively. The two memberscan thus be referred to as left and right members. The former will behereinafter designated by the reference character 1a, and the latter bythe character 1b.

Left and right members 1a and 1b, respectively, of pair 1 are, aspreviously indicated, mirror image twins, thereby differing from eachother in Ways dict-ated by their mirror image relationship in the sameway that one of a pair of shoes differs from the other. The points ofmirror image-induced dissimilarity between the two members will bereadily apparent from the drawing and its present description. Becauseof their otherwise similarity of construction and use, only the 4rightone (1b) of the pair 1 of said members is illustrated in detail in theapplicable figures of the drawing. Consequently, the bulk of the drawingdescription to follow will be concerned primarily with member 1b and itscomponent parts, as shown in FIGURES 2 through 7.

Because of the relative simplicity of my vehicle, from both structuraland use standpoints, and the substantial structural similarity of itstwo members, as evidenced by the FIGURE 1 illustration, the here adoptedmethod of describing the invention in terms of reference primarily toone of its members is considered completely adequate for the purpose.Even though such is unnecessary for an adequate teaching of the .presentinvention, care will, nevetheless, be taken hereinafter to point out theareas of mirror image dissimilarity between members 1b and 1a, so thatthe description will, in effect, constitute a teaching of the structuralconfiguration of the latter, as well as of the former.

Member 1b comprises an upper tubular part 3, serving essentially as anarm support and handle bar for the rider to grip with his right hand,and a lower part, 0r chassis S, consisting primarily of a rotatablymounted wheel 13 which contacts the ground in rolling relationship, abent tubular member 6 which serves as a support frame for chassis(hereinafter referred to as chassis frame 6), and a footrest 15 fixedlysecured to chassis frame 6 in suitable positional orientation toaccommodate the riders right foot. The relative sizes and configurationsof the various parts of chassis 5t, and the manner in which they areassembled to -form the complete chassis, are well illustrated by thedrawing.

Wheel 13 is of the spoked type with a rim on which a tire 16, which canbe of either the solid rubber or balloon variety, is mounted. The wheelcan, if desired, be of the disc, rather than spoked, type and it can beof any size suitable for the intended purpose, but, as presentlycontemplated, is preferably about S or inches in diameter. Chassis frame6 is bent through two right angle turns to form an axially monoplanarmember of squared Z-shape, having a first leg 6a adapted to dependdownwardly and serve as a bracket for an axle 17 around which wheel 13,as will be seen, rotates; a second leg 6b adapted to extend upwardly andmeet the lower end of upper part 3 of member 1b in a manner and for apurpose subsequently explained; and an intermediate transverse section6c integrally connecting legs 6a and 6b and providing a support base forfootrest 15 Kwhich is affixed thereto in the manner illustrated in thedrawing and discussed hereinafter.

Chassis frame 6 is, as previously noted, of tubular construction.However, the lower end of its depending leg 6a is plugged with a tightfitting metal insert 19 weldably attached around the edge of its lowerend to the surrounding rim of the lower end of leg 6a, as FIGURE 3illustrates. Depending leg 6a and metal insert 19 have aligned openingsforming a central passageway running through the leg perpendicularly toits axis. The passageway is so sized and configured as to receive andsnugly hold one end of axle 17 in tight friction fitting relationship.Axle 17 has a slightly attened head 17a, the presence of which preventsmigration of the axle through the aforesaid passageway in the directionof rotating Wheel 13 (which, as will be seen, is disposed on theopposite side of chassis frame leg 6a therefrom) during operation of thevehicle. The passageway is so directionally oriented relative todepending leg 6a of chassis frame 6 as to position the axle, when seatedtherein, parallelly to transverse section 6c of said frame. The interfitorientation of axle 17 and depending leg 6a of the chassis frame isillustrated particularly well in FIGURE 3.

As will be clear from FIGURE 3, axle 17 is so seated in the aforesaidpassageway through depending leg 6a of chassis frame 6 as to bring itsflattened head 17a against that surface of the leg which is turneddiametrically away from the direction of extension of transverse section6c of the frame therefrom. This results in projection of the wheel 13engaging section of the axle from leg 6a in such direction as toposition it underneath, and, as previously indicated, parallel to,transverse frame section 6c. Wheel 13 is mounted on the thus projectingportion of axle 17, as a result of which it is aligned planarly parallelwith leg 6a and perpendicular with the transverse section of the chassisframe. The length of leg 6a is sufficient to provide ample clearancebetween the top of wheel 13 and said transverse section and thus permitfree turning of the wheel relative thereto. The presence of insert 19 inthe leg 6a of the chassis frame assures better axle retention by itspassageway seat in the leg and increased strength of the resultingaxle-leg connection.

Wheel 13 is rotatably mounted on axle 17 by means of a hub comprising anordinary ball bearing having an inner race friction-fitted on the axleand an outer race coactively associated with the wheel whereby thelatter is permitted to rotate around the relatively stationary axle asit rolls along the ground to thereby move the vehicle and transport itsrider. The ball bearing mounting is not specifically shown in thedrawing since such mountings are commonly known to those skilled in theart. While the friction fit between the inner race of the ball bearingand axle 17 tends to hold the wheel in its proper axial orientation onthe axle, and the tight fit between axle 17 and its passageway seat inleg 6a tends to keep the axle properly oriented during operation of thevehicle, a shim washer 21 is positioned on the axle intermediate thewheel and leg 6a, and a cotter pin 23 is locked in place through amating hole in the outer extremity of the axle adjacent the outer hub ofthe wheel to obviate the possibility of undue migration of the involvedparts during operation of the vehicle. Such migration is undesirable inthat it could cause wheel malfunctioning or loss or bring the wheel intorubbing contact with leg 6a.

The term ground as employed herein to indicate the surface on whichwheel 13 rolls to achieve movement of the vehicular toy is intended tohave a broad meaning. More specifically, that term is here employed todenote any sufficiently hard surface of operation for the toy such as,for example, apaved street, sidewalk, hard clay, lawn, or the like,surface. As in the case of other rolling vehicular toys, the preferredoutdoor surfaces of use for the present vehicle are hard pavements suchas concrete, blacktop, etc., pavements. The device is not limited tooutdoor use, however, and is readily adaptable for riding in largebuildings, or other structures, on oors of any description, so long asthey are adequately smooth for the purpose.

Footrest 15 is a flat, elongated piece of plate metal, of sufficientlength and width to accommodate a childs, or young persons, foot withroom to spare when the vehicle is in use, or positioned for use as shownin the drawing. The footrest has two transversely central slots 15a and15b, respectively, positioned in line and symmetrically distributedeither side of its transverse bisector. The slots completely penetratethe footrest and serve a purpose hereinafter explained. As indicatedabove, footrest 15 is fastened atop transverse section 6c of the chassisframe, the fastening being accomplished by weld means as illustrated inFIGURES 4 and 6i. The footrest is so positioned, relative to the chassisframe, as to orient it horizontally when member 1b is in its uprightposition, as shown in the drawing. Footrest 15 is laterally spaced ontransverse section 6c of the chassis frame so as to align itslongitudinal bisector with the centerline of the tread of tire 16. Thisspacing arrangement positions the right foot of the rider directly over'wheel 13 when he is riding the vehicle.

The upper surface of footrest 15 is preferably, either entirely orpartially, of a non-skid character or texture. This can be accomplishedby corrugating, or otherwise roughing, the upper metal surface of thefootrest itself, or by fastening a layer of rough textured materialthereto. The various methods for rendering metallic surfaces non-skid,or applying non-skid overlay materials to existing surfaces, are so wellknown as to require no discussion here. Where only part of the uppersurface of the footrest is to be of non-skid character, that part Willpreferably comprise the central portion, as exemplified by the surfacearea within the continuous dotted line of FIGURE 4, since it is herethat the rider will stand when operating the vehicle.

To aid the rider in keeping his footing on the vehicle, a pair ofcomplementary footgrips 25 and 27 are provided for use accessory to thefootrest. The two footgrips are similar but not interchangeable,footgrip 25 being adapted to fit the left side of the foot, and footgrip27 its right side. As the drawing shows, the footgrips are almost, butnot quite, mirror image twins. The structural difference by which theymiss being such twins is so slight as to go almost unnoticed. Thecharacter of, and reason for, this difference will later `be discussedin detail. Each of the footgrips comprises an elongated piece of platemetal, flat for a good portion of its length then bent sharply upwardlyand curvingly over its flat portion to form a halfarch of forwardlyconverging configuration. The thus arched portion of footgrip 25,hereinafter referred to as half-arch 25a, is formed sufiiciently higherthan its counterpart portion of footgrip 27, hereinafter called halfarch27a, to compensate for the thickness of the plate metal from which bothfootgrips are made. The purpose of this difference in arch height, whichis the structural difference of above reference, is to permit assemblyof the two footgrip members for use with their fiat segments inunderlying-overlying relationship, as subsequently discussed in greaterdetail, and, at the same time, assure curvature of their half-archestoward each other along the common arcuate pattern illustrated in thedrawing, and particularly FIGURE 7.

As the drawings show, and will be apparent from the foregoing remarks,the at portion of each of the footgrips is elongated, the reason forwhich will become evident as the description of the invention proceeds.Each of the two ilat portions has a transversely and longitudinallycentered slot running for a good portion of its length. The two slotsare shown on the drawings at 25a (in footgrip 25) and 27a (in footgrip27), and will be hereinafter so identified. The slots extend completelythrough the footgrips and are so positioned as to overlap for most oftheir lengths when the foot-grips are secured to the vehicle for use inthe below-described manner.

The two footgrips are installed for use on footrest 15, this beingaccomplished by bringing their tlat sections underneath t-he forward, orright, as seen in FIGURE 4, end of the footrest, with that of footgrip27 overlying the other. The footgrips are oriented, for this assemblyprocedure, with their half-arches extending upwardly and convergingforwardly and with their flat portions in transverse edge coincidence.The two footgrips, thus positionally oriented, are fastened in place onthe footrest with the upper surface of the flat portion of footgrip 27flush against the under surface of said footrest, by means of a machinescrew 29 secured with a nut 31, as shown in FIGURE 7. Screw 29 has anoval head of diameter sufficiently larger than the width of slot b inthe footrest to prevent its passage therethrough and provide the screwwith support means on the foot-rest when it is locked in place. As thedrawings show, the head of screw 29 is positioned within the normaltread area of footrest 15, and it is to minimize foot discomfort to therider of the vehicle that it is of the oval head type. Other s-crew headarrangements, some offering even less discomfort to the vehicle rider,can, of course, be employed within the scope of my invention. As anexample of one such alternative arrangement, the screw head can becountersunk, in any of a variety of ways known to those skilled in theart, so that it does not protrude from the upper surface of thefootrest.

'Returning now to the footgrip fastening arrangement of the picturevehicle, the drawings clearly show that this is accomplished by passageof screw 29 through slot 15b of the footrest and underlying slots 27band 25b of footgrips 27 and 25, respectively, which by virtue of thepreviously mentioned lateral edge coincidence of their flat portions arein alignment for most of their lengths. The screw is, as previouslyindicated, positioned with its threaded end down and its head supportedon the edges of slot .15b of the footrest. The screw is of sufcientlength to project far enough below the surface of the flat portion offootgrip to receive nut 31 lon its threaded end. A washer 33 having adiameter substantially greater than the width of the slot in footgrip 25is tted on screw 29 between the footgrip and nut 31 to provide a rm flatbase against which the nut can be tightened.

The drawings, and particularly FIGURES 3, 4 and 7, show footgrips 25 and27 fastened to footrest 15 with their upstanding half-arch portionssnugged tightly at their bases against the lateral edgesof footrest 15and this is the preferred arrangement where the footrest is fairly wide,since a riders foot of almost any size is thereby accommodated. Themethod of foot accommodation will be clear from the drawings, andespecially FIGURE 1, but, briefly, the two footgrips, when assembled onthe footrest in the manner described and illustrated herein, form astirrup-like toe socket or guard into which the riders foot ts. Thereason for assemblying the footgrips with their half-arches forwardlyconverging is obvious since this orientation more nearly fits thecontours of the human foot than would the reverse (forwardly vdiverging)halfarch orientation.

An important advantage, not heretofore noted, of my particular footgriparrangement resides in a size adjustment capability, made possi-ble bythe slotted congurations of the footgrips and footrest, whereby it canbe quickly adjusted to accommodate the foot size of any rider. Thefootgrip arrangement is adjustable width-wise, length-wise or both, thewidth adjustment being accomplished by lateral shift, relative tofoot-rest 15, of the footgrip members, and the length adjustment bylongitudinal shift of the pair of footgrips along the footrest.

The lateral shift of the footgrips for width adjustment is of greaterimportance on vehicles with narrower footrests than those of the drawingembodiment of my invention, since the footrests of the latter aresufficiently wide to accomodate a foot of almost any size, even with thefootgrips snugged -close to their lateral edges as shown and described.Carrying out such a lateral shift is made possible by the heretoforedisclosed relationship of super imposition between slot 27b of footgrip27 and slot 25b of footgrip 25 which makes movement of either footgripoutwardly from its FIGURE 7 position, and then inwardly an equivalentdistance, possible, upon loosening of the screw 29 and nut 31 lockingarrangement.

The longitudinal shift of the footgrips along footrest 15 is of evengreater simplicity than their lateral shifting since all this requiresis movement of loosened screw 29, and the footgrip assembly heldtogether thereby, fore and aft, as necessary, in slot 15b of thefootrest.

As previously noted, and illustrated on the drawing, footrest 15 has aslot 15a similar in all respects to slot 15b but situated in itsVhalf-section opposite that of the latter slot. Slot I15a servesfootgrip anchoring and longitudinal shaft purposes equivalent to thoseserved by slot 15b, but for the benefit of the riders left, rather thanhis right, foot. This left-right versatility of the foot supportassembly of the pictured embodiment of my invention will be 'explained,and discussed, in greater detail below. Insofar as the structural,functional and use aspects of the assembly are concerned, however,enough has been said for aV full and adequate teaching thereof.

The only part of lower part 5 of member 1b not yet discussed in detailis upwardly extending leg 6b of chassis frame 6. Leg 6b serves as asocketfor a round, solid metal rod 35, which is inserted to the depthindicated in FIGURES 2 and 3 which show the rod in dotted outline form,and Weldably secured in place therein, Rod 35 serves to link upper andVlower parts 3 and 5, respectively, of member 1b and hold those partstogether. In the latter connection, rod 35 has a plurality of evenlyspaced 'holes 35a running transversely, centrally and from front to backtherethrough, all of the holes being disposed in that portion of the rodprotruding upwardly out of leg 6b of chassis frame 6. The manner inwhich these holes -are utilized for the indicated purpose of holding theparts of member 1b together will shortly be explained.

, Upper part 3 of member 1b consists of an elongated metal tubing member4 bent to suitable shape for multiple purposes, as subsequentlyoutlined, and having hand and arm grips 9 and 11, respectively, joinedthereto. Metal tubing member 4 has, as the drawing shows, la downwardlydepending leg 4e forming its bottom section; a section 4a extendingforwardly and upwardly from ya bend joining it to the upper end lof leg4e; a short upright' section 4b extending vertically upwardly from ashallow bend joining it to section 4a; a handle bar section 4c extendingdownwardly, rearwardly and slightly outwardly (relative to the ridersposition) from a sharply curving bend joining it to section 4b; and anarmrest section 4d extending rearwardly, slightly upwardly and slightlyoutwardly (again relative to the riders position) from a bend joining itto handle bar section 4c. Tubular member 4 has a round cross section ofthe same diameter as that of chassis frame 6.

As previously indicated, bar 35 serves to link upper and lower parts 3and 5, respectively, of member 1b. To accomplish this, the bar is sosized and positioned aS to t telescopically within leg 6b of chassisframe 6 at its (the bars) lower end, to the depth indicated above, andinto downwardly depending leg 4e of tubular member 4 for that part ofits length protruding upwardly out of said leg 6b. The telescopic litbetween bar '35 and leg 6b of chassis frame `6 is nonbinding butsufficiently snug to vertically align the bar when the chassis frame isin the upright position shown in the drawing. Tubular member 4 is hollowthroughout its length and open `at the bottom end of its downwardlyextending leg 4e, thus permitting that leg to downwardly telescopearound that portion of rod 35 which projects upwardly from theup-st-anding leg of chassis frame 6.

The upper end of leg 6b of chassis frame 6 `and the bottom of downwardlyextending leg 4e of tubular member 4 are square cut, and the length ofbar 35 is such as to terminate at its upper end just short of the bendbetween downwardly extending leg 4e and forwardly bending section 4a oftubular member 4, whereby the telescoping of its leg 4e in theabove-indicated manner permits member 4 to slide downwardly along therod until its lower end abuts against the upper end of leg 6b of chassisframe 6. By virtue of these features of member 1b, its upper and lowerparts are fitted together, rod 35 being sufficiently long to stiifen theframework of the vehicle member at the juncture of said parts and ofsufcient cross sectional size to assure a snug and substantiallywobble-free t at that juncture.

Downwardly extending leg 4e of tubular member 4 has a plurality of pairsof diametrically opposite openings 4ea so spaced thereon, and somutually aligned, as to coincide with the above-mentioned holes 35a inrod 35 when upper part 3 is in its proper rotational position, relativeto the lower parts of the vehicle, on rod 35. The upper and lower partsof vehicular member 1b are locked together by aligning the holes in rod35 and downwardly extending leg 4e of tubular member 4 and then passinga toggle pin 37 through one of the sets of aligned holes, as shown onthe drawing, and particularly FIGURES 2 and 5. The fit of the toggle pinwithin the aligned holes in the rod and tubular member walls is snug toassure a more stable and wobble-free connection, but substantiallynon-binding so that the pin can -be fairly easily moved from one set ofaligned holes to -another for purposes of vehicle height adjustment.

Toggle pin 37 is of a conventional type, with a head 37a at one end toprevent migration of that end through the openings in the parts of thevehicle held together thereby, and a pivoted member 37b at its other endadjustable to an open position in which it is -aligned with the mainportion of the toggle pin for insertion through said openings, and alocked position, as shown in the drawing, to which it is adjusted afterinsertion through the openings to hold it in place and thereby preventseparation of the upper and lower parts of vehicul-ar member 1b. Suchtoggle pins, and their manner of operation, are well known in the artand need no further description here.

Tubular member 4 owes its unusual shape to its multifunctional characteras an arm support, handle bar and structural member serving to hold thevarious parts of member 1lb together. Thus, the depending leg section 4eof tubular member 4 helps connect upper part 3 with lower part 5 ofmember 1b; handle bar section 4c of the tubular member is positioned andoriented where it can be easily grasped by the right hand of the riderof the vehicle, and thereafter used by him as a guide member; armsupport section 4d is directionally oriented to underlyingly parallelthe `right forearm of a rider gripping handle bar section 4c; and theremaining parts of the tubular member are so sized, shaped andintegrally positioned as to join the other parts of the member into acohesive whole.

As previously indicated, arm support section 4d mostly underlies theright arm of the ride-r operating the vehicle. Section 4d is -augmentedin its arm support function by an upturned arm grip member 11 ofU-shaped cross section, tixedly secured atop, and near the aft end ofthat section of the tubular member by welding means, as shown. Arm gripmember 11 has two upstanding side sections and a horizontally disposedbottom section, 11b, 11e and 11d, respectively, -all of which aredisposed parallel to said section 4d. Additionally, the upstanding sidesections of arm grip member 11 are disposed equidistantly from thevertical, longitudinal bisector of section 4d.

Thus configured and positioned, arm grip member 11 cradles the upperforearm of the -rider of the vehicle when member 1b is properly adjustedfor height by means of the above-described telescoping and lockingarrangement between rod 35 and leg 4e of tubular member 4. As indicatedabove, and illustrated in the drawing, arm grip member 11 has verticallyupright side sections. Curved side sections, more nearly conforming tothe shape of the human arm, could, however, be employed if desired. Itmight even be preferable in some, or even most, instances to so shapethe side sections of the arm grip member that they curve, or diverge,inwardly toward each other, at least at their tops, to permit the armgrip to clamp the riders arm to some extent rather than merely cradlingit, Arm grip member 11 is lined with a suitably resilient shockabsorbing material 12 such as sponge rubber, foamed plastic, or thelike.

Handle bar section 4c of tubular member 4 is sleeved by a handgrip 9,previously referred to but not by reference character, of a suitablyyielding material such as rubber, plastic, or the equivalent. Thepurpose of the handgrip is so obvious, and handgrip designs, materialsof construction, etc., so well known, as to require no additionaldiseussion here. Before leaving the physical description of the picturedembodiment of my invention, and particularly tubular member 4 and itsappurtenant parts, it should be noted that all directionally definitivelanguage heretofore employed (such as language indicating a particularpart to be downwardly depending, outwardly extending, etc.) is referableto the upright position of member 1b as illustrated on the drawing.

The various parts of my new vehicle can, of course, be metallic or madeof any other suitable material or materials. As a matter of preference,however, the vehicle should be of light weight, such as, for example,substantially aluminum, construction.

As previously indicated, lower part 5 of member 1b of the picturedembodiment of my vehicle is so designed as to be equally serviceable asthe corresponding lower part of left member 1a of the vehicle. Thus, -atleast insofar as their lower parts are concerned, the left and rightmembers of the vehicle are interchangeable duplicates, the advantages ofwhich, from both manufacturing and use standpoints, are too obvious torequire further comment. To switch the lower part of left or rightmember 1a or 1b of the vehicle to serviceability as the lower part ofthe other member, it is merely necessary to move the two footgrips fromone end of the footrest to the other, the manner of doing this and theuse ramifications thereof being obvious from an understanding of themanner of construction and operation of my new vehicle as made clear bythe attached drawing and its detailed description above.

The manner in which my new vehicle is ridden will, it is believed, befairly apparent from the drawing and particularly FIGURE 1, whichactually shows a rider in operating position thereon. Briefly, the riderpositions himself -for vehicle operation by placing his feet on theappropriate ones of the footrests of the left and right vehicle members(corresponding to members 1a yand 1b, respectively, of the drawing) andappropriately grasping the left and right handgrips, with his forearmscradled in their cooperating arm grip members, all as clearlydemonstrated in FIGURE 1. Thus positioned, the lrider propels himselfalong the ground by leg motion somewhat analogous to a skaters legmovements but, at the same time, he guides and supports himself by armand hand movements transmitting their influence and control at the armgrip and handle bar points of contact between rider and vehicle. Theskill, balance, coordination, etc., required to master control of my newvehicle will, it is believed, be appreciated by anyone who has everlearned to ride any of the conventional vehicles requiring skill andbalance such as bicycles, roller skates, ice skates, etc.

By skaters leg movements, as the term is employed in that, orequivalent, form here and in the following claims is meant alternate up,forward, down, and forward gliding movements of the legs which result inalternate lift and ground rolling contact of vehicle left and rightmember wheels. The term, and its equivalents, is also intended toencompass all other leg movements employed by skaters such as turningmovements, movements utilized when coasting with all wheels on theground, etc.

While the vehicle of this invention has been described by detailedreference -to the specific embodiment shown in the drawing, there are,of course, many other embodiments within the scope of my inventiondiffering numerously in noncritical features, materials of construction,etc., therefrom. Some of these alternative featural variants of thepictured embodiment of my invention have been mentioned above, andothers will be suggested to those skilled in the art by the presentteachings. Further examples, by way of illustration, of variant forms ofmy vehicle falling well within the scope of my invention -are those withwheel assemblies differing noncritically from that shown in the drawing(such as, for example, those incorporating the use Iof more than onewheel on each left and right member); those embodying a toe captivatingarrangement dissimilar to the footgrip combination of the drawing (suchas, for example, a one-piece toe socket, integral with or fastened byany convenient means to the footrest); vehicles without the heightadjusting feature vdescribed above (or without any height adjustingfeature); vehicles with one-piece, lrather `than two-piece left and`right members; vehicles with directly telescoping upper and lower partsor other incorporated means of fastening upper and lower parts together;etc.

In view of the many theoretically possible embodiments of my newvehicle, it is iinally emphasized that all such which maintain astructural character consistent with the integrity of my invention astaught herein fall within the scope of the invention so long as they areencompassed by the claims following hereinafter.

I claim:

l. A rider-propelled vehicle adapted to be operated by a rider instanding position and comprising a pair of members, one of which isadapted for left arm, hand and foot use and the other for right arm,hand and foot use by said rider, each member, in turn, comprising:

(a) wheel means adapted for ground rolling contact purposes;

(b) mounting means for said wheel means adapted to receive the latter inrotatable relationship;

(c) footrest means adapted to support lone foot of said rider aboveground level while he is operating said vehicle;

(d) handle bar means adapted and positioned for grasp by one hand ofsaid rider while he is operating said vehicle in standing position;

(e) arm support means adapted to support one arm of said rider while heis operating said vehicle in standing position with the hand of that armgrasping said handle bar means; and

(f) means interconnecting and supporting the yaforesaid means inproperly spaced apart and oriented positional status;

(g) whereby the vehicle is operable by a rider standing vm'th each footon the footrest means of a separate one of said pair of members, eachhand grasping a handle bar of a separate one of said pair of members,each forearm supported by the arm support means of a separate one ofsaid pair of members, land propelling himself on the vehicle by legmovements somewhat like those of a skater.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 in which the wheel means comprises a singlewheel having a rim with a resilient tire mounted thereon.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 in which the wheel means comprises a singlewheel having a rim with a resilient tire mounted thereon, and thefootrest means is positioned directly over and so oriented relative tothe roll direction of said wheel that the foot of a rider operating thevehicle and positioned on said footrest is longitudinally aligned withsaid roll direction.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 in which said arm support means comprises anelongated rigid part and an upright arm grip member xedly securedthereto, said arm grip member having upstanding side walls and being soelevated and oriented as to -cradle bet-Ween said side walls the forearmof said rider when he is operating said vehicle, said elongated rigidpart being so positionally oriented as to substantially parallellyunderlie said forearm gf said rider when it is so cradled in said armgrip mem- 5. A rider-propelled vehicle adapted to be operated by a riderin standing position and comprising a pair of members, one of which isadapted for left arm, hand and foot use and the other for right arm,hand and foot use by said rider, each member, in turn, comprising:

(a) a wheel adapted for ground rolling contact purposes having a rimwith a resilient tire mounted thereon;

(b) mounting means for said wheel adapted to receive it in rotatablerelationship;

(c) footrest means adapted to support one foot of said rider while he isoperating said vehicle, said footrest means being positioned directlyover said wheel and so oriented relative to its roll direction that thefoot of a rider operating the vehicle and positioned on said footrest islongitudinally oriented in said roll direction;

(d) a handle bar adapted and positioned for grasp by one hand of saidrider while he is operating said vehicle in standing position;

(e) yarm support means adapted to support one arm of lsaid rider whilehe is operating said vehicle in standing position with the hand of thatarm grasping said handle bar, comprising an elongated rigid part and anupright arm grip member xedly secured thereto, said arm grip memberhaving upstanding side walls and being so elevated and oriented as tocradle between said side walls the forearm of said rider when he isoperating said vehicle, said elongated rigid part being so positionallyoriented as to substantially parallelly underlie said forearm of saidrider when it is so cradled in said arm grip member;

` (f) means interconnecting and supporting the aboveenumerated elementsin properly spaced -apart and oriented positional status;

(g) whereby the vehicle is operable by a rider standing with each footon the rootrest means of a sepal l rate one of said pair of members,each hand grasping a handle bar of a separate one of said pair ofmembers, each forearm supported by the arm support means of a separateone of said pair of members, and propelling himself on the vehicle byleg movements somewhat like those of a skater.

6. The vehicle of claim S in which the interconne-cting and supportingmeans of subparagraph (f) comprises:

(a) the major portion of an elongated, substantially rigid frame withlower end connective capacity for receiving said mounting means for saidwheel in wheel flanking and supportive relationship;

(b) the wheel flanking relationship between frame and wheel being suchthat the former is connected -With the Wheel mounting means inboard ofthe mounted wheel;

(c) said frame extending substantially vertically upwardly from itslower end and then outwardly over said wheel in substantially axiallyparallel relationship thereto;

(d) said frame thereafter bending to extend substantially verticallyupwardly, then to extend forwardly and upwardly, then to extendsubstantially vertically upwardly again;

(e) said frame then curving sharply backwardly, downwardly and outwardlyfrom the riders position and thereafter extending for a sufficientdistance to serve as said handle bar;

(f) said frame then curving, in substantially the same vertical plane,to extend rearwardly and slightly upwardly a sufficient distance to formsaid elongated rigid part of said arm support means.

7. The -vehicle of claim 6 in which said elongated, substantially rigidframe is of metallic, substantially tubular construction.

8. The vehicle of claim 6 in which said elongated, substantially rigidframe is of light Weight metal construction.

9. The vehicle of claim 6 in `which the elongated, substantially rigidframe is of metallic, substantially tubular construction and comprisesseparable upper and lower parts and accessory interlocking means wherebythey can be locked together to serve as a single frame unit.

10. The vehicle of claim 6 in which said footrest means comprises aflat, elongated, plate-like member xedly secured atop that part of saidframe extending outwardly over said wheel in substantially axiallyparallel relationship thereto; said plate-like member being oriented inlongitudinal lalignment with the roll direction of said wheel.

11. A rider-propelled vehicle adapted to be operated by a rider instanding position and comprising a pair of members, one of which isadapted for left arm, hand and foot use and the other for right arm,hand and foot use by said rider, each member, in turn, comprising:

(a) a wheel adapted for ground rolling contact purposes having a rimwith a resilient tire mounted thereon;

(b) mounting means for said wheel adapted to receive it in rotatablerelationship;

(c) footrest means adapted to support one foot of said rider while he isoperating said vehicle, said footrest means comprising a at, elongatedplate-like member and being positioned directly over said wheel and sooriented relative to its roll direction that the foot of a rideroperating the vehicle and positioned on said footrest is longitudinallyoriented in said roll direction;

(d) a handle bar adapted and positioned for grasp by one hand of saidrider while he is operating said wehicle in standing position;

(e) arm support means adapted to support one arm of :said rider while heis operating said vehicle in standing position with the hand of that armgrasping said handlebar, comprising an elongated rigid part and anupright arm grip member xedly secured thereto,

said arm grip member having upstanding side walls and being so elevatedand oriented as to cradle between said side walls the forearm of saidrider when he is operating said vehicle, said elongated rigid part beingso positionally oriented as to substantially parallelly underlie saidforearm of said rider when it is so cradled in said arm grip member;

(f) means interconnecting and supporting the aboveenumerated elements inproperly spaced apart and oriented positional status comprising themajor portion of an elongated, metallic, substantially tubular andsubstantially rigid frame having separable upper and lower parts andaccessory interlocking means whereby they can be locked together toserve as a single frame unit, said frame having lower end connectivecapacity for receiving said mounting means for said wheel in wheellianking and supportive relationship;

(g) the wheel flanking relationship between frame and wheel being suchthat the former is connected with the wheel mounting means inboard ofthe mounted wheel;

(h) said frame extending substantially vertically upwardly from itslower end and then outwardly over said wheel in substantially axiallyparallel relationship thereto;

(i) said frame thereafter bending to extend substantially lverticallyupwardly, then to extend forwardly and upwardly, then to extendsubstantially vertically upwardly again;

(j) said frame then curving sharply backwardly, downwardly and outwardlyfrom the riders position and thereafter extending for a suicientdistance to serve as said handle bar;

(k) said frame then curving in substantially the same vertical plane, toextend rearwardly and slightly upwardly a sufficient distance to formsaid elongated rigid part of said arm support means;

(l) said footrest means being xedly secured atop that part of said frameextending outwardly over said wheel in substantially axially parallelrelationship thereto;

(m) toe socket means adapted to protectively receive a front part of thefoot of a rider operating the vehicle when said foot is positioned onsaid footrest means, said toe socket means cooperatively associated withsaid footrest means;

(n) whereby the vehicle is operable by a rider standing with each footon the footrest means of a separate one of said pair of members, eachhand grasping a handle bar of a separate one of said pair of members,each forearm supported by the arm support means of a separate one ofsaid pair of members, and propelling himself on the vehicle by legmovements somewhat like those of a skater.

12. The vehicle of claim 11 in which the accessory interlocking meansfor the separable upper and lower parts of the substantially rigid frameare adaptable for locking said parts together in varying positionalcombinations whereby the frame length, and, in turn, the vehicle height,is adjustable to suit the size of the vehicle rider.

13. The vehicle of claim 11 in which the plate-like footrest member islongitudinally slotted and the toe socket means cooperatively associatedtherewith comprises two metallic footgrip members, each of which has aflat straplike rst portion and a second portion rising therefrom in theshape of an incompleted arch, and accessory fastening hardware;

(a) said footgrip members being so sized and configured as tounderlyingly t with their fiat portions overlapping, against saidplate-like footrest member with their incompleted arch portionsflankingly rising from opposite sides of said footrest member in acommon arcuate pattern to form a receptive socket for the front part ofthe foot of a vehicle rider;

(b) the at strap-like irst portions of said footgrip members beingcharacterized by the presence of longitudinal slots so positioned as topartially overlap when said strap-like portions are tted in underlyingrelationship with said plate-like footrest member in the above-indicatedmanner, and the slotted area `of the footrest member being so located asto cross the overlapping portions of the slots in said ootgrip memberswhen they are thus underlying tted to said footrest member;

(c) said accessory fastening hardware comprising a screw adapted to passthrough the superimposed slot areas in the footrest member and flatportions of said footgrips, when those parts are assembled as describedabove, and cooperating nut means for tightening and loosening of saidscrew;

(d) whereby the ootrest-toe socket assembly is -adjustable for theriders foot length by longitudinal movement of the footgrips along thefootrest member by movement of the loosened screw in the longitudinallyslotted area of that member, and for the riders foot width by lateralmovement of said footgrip members, relative to the position of saidfootrest member, along their slot axes with the screw loosened butcaptive in said axes.

14. The vehicle of claim 13 in which the plate-like footrest member isso longitudinally slotted as to permit assembly of said footgrip memberson its either end, whereby the f-ootrest member-toe socket assembly, and

the separable lower part of said substantially rigid frame to which thefootrest member is xedly secured, is adjustable for interchangeable useas a part of either of said pair of members of said vehicle.

15. The vehicle of claim 1,1 in which the upstanding lside walls of theupright arm grip member ofthe arm support means curve toward each otherto thereby provide clamping, in addition to cradling, means for theforearm of said rider when -he is operating said vehicle.

16. The vehicle of claim 11 in which said substantially rigid frame isof substantially light weight metal construction.

17. The vehicle of claim 11 in which said substantially rigid frame isof substantially aluminum construction.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 573,096 12/1896 Marteeny280-11.24 1,697,994 1/ 1929 Moore. 1,812,383 6/1931 Thompson 2SC-11.362,825,575 3/1958 Mickels. 2,931,012 3/1960 Kosach 280-11.24X

FOREIGN PATENTS 548,835 10/ 1942 Great Britain.

BENJAMIN HERSI-I, Primary Examiner. M. L. SMITH, Assistant Examiner.

1. A RIDER-PROPELLED VEHICLE ADAPTED TO BE OPERATED BY A RIDER INSTANDING POSITION AND COMPRISING A PAIR OF MEMBERS, ONE OF WHICH ISADAPTED FOR LEFT ARM, HAND AND FOOT USE AND THE OTHER FOR RIGHT ARM,HAND AND FOOT USE BY SAID RIDER, EACH MEMBER, IN TURN, COMPRISING: (A)WHEEL MEANS ADAPTED FOR GROUND ROLLING CONTACT PURPOPSES; (B) MOUNTINGMEANS FOR SAID WHEEL MEANS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE LATTER IN ROTATABLERELATIONSHIP; (C) FOOTREST MEANS ADAPTED TO SUPPORT ONE FOOT OF SAIDRIDER ABOVE GROUND LEVEL WHILE HE IS OPERATING SAID VEHICLE; (D) HANDLEBAR MEANS ADAPTED AND POSITIONED FOR GRASP BY ONE HAND OF SAID RIDERWHILE HE IS OPERATING SAID VEHICLE IN STANDING POSITION; (E) ARM SUPPORTMEANS ADAPTED TO SUPPORT ONE ARM OF SAID RIDER WHILE HE IS OPERATINGSAID VEHICLE IN STANDING POSITION WITH THE HAND OF THAT ARM GRASPINGSAID HANDLE BAR MEANS; AND (F) MEANS INTERCONNECTING AND SUPPORTING THEAFORESAID MEANS IN PROPERLY SPACED APART AND ORIENTED POSITIONAL STATUS;(G) WHEREBY THE VEHICLE IS OPERABLE BY A RIDER STANDING WITH EACH FOOTON THE FOOTREST MEANS OF A SEPARATE ONE OF SAID PAIR OF MEMBERS, EACHHAND GRASPING A HANDLE BAR OF A SEPARATE ONE OF SAID PAIR OF MEMBERS,EACH FOREARM SUPPORTED BY THE ARM SUPPORT MEANS OF A SEPARATE ONE OFSAID PAIR OF MEMBERS, AND PROPELLING HIMSELF ON THE VEHICLE BY LEGMOVEMENTS SOMEWHAT LIKE THOSE OF A SKATER.